Are you excited for the upcoming release of Godzilla vs. Kong?
If you're planning a monster movie marathon to get yourself in the mood, then check out our round up of some of our favourite takes on the franchise. We've included everything you need to know about the films - a synopsis, ratings info, and age rating.
If you're a monster fan, then check out our case study on Godzilla (1985) - which includes the original Examiner report.
King Kong (1933)
mild violence, threat
King Kong is a US drama, from 1933, in which a film crew head to a remote island where they encounter a very large ape.
Violence
People are grabbed by giant monsters and are then placed in their mouths, thrown into ravines, or squashed under foot. There is no sight of blood or injury detail involving human characters. There are also sequences in which giant monsters fight each other; in one scene a dinosaur's jaws are cracked open and some thick blood oozes from its mouth.
Threat
There are extended scenes of threat as characters confront angry locals and various large monsters. Characters are chased through a jungle and a city and there are scenes of panic as people run away, terrified, from the escaped King Kong.
Other issues include some very mild bad language with uses of 'darned'.
There are several scenes in which characters smoke cigarettes.
Godzilla (1956)
mild threat, scary scenes, injury detail
Godzilla is a 1956 American reworking of a 1954 Japanese film, in which an American reporter witnesses Godzilla's attack upon Tokyo.
Threat
There are frequent scenes showing the monster rampaging through the streets, destroying buildings and melting defences with his radioactive breath.
Injury detail
A man pulls himself from the ruins of a building with a bloody injury to his head and face.
Kong: Skull Island
moderate threat, violence, infrequent strong language
Kong: Skull Island is a US fantasy adventure in which a team of scientists and soldiers explore an uncharted island in the South Pacific.
King Kong (2005)
contains frightening elements, moderate violence and frequent peril.
A greedy film producer assembles a team of moviemakers and sets out for the infamous Skull Island, where they find more than just cannibalistic natives.
Godzilla (2005)
moderate violence, threat
Godzilla is a US sci-fi monster movie, in which gargantuan dinosaur-like monsters fight one another and wreak havoc and destruction in both Japan and California.
Violence
Moderate violence as large monsters fight one another. There are occasional brief blood spurts and one monster appears to stab another with sharp claws. Soldiers and nuclear power plant workers are also killed from time to time, but without detail.
Threat
Moderate threat as huge monsters stomp through urban areas destroying buildings and infrastructure. In one scene nuclear power plant workers desperately attempt to outrun escaping radioactive material.
There is some mild and very mild bad language, including the terms 'bull', 'God, 'hell', 'Jesus' and 'shit'.
Godzilla: King Of The Monsters
moderate threat, violence, infrequent strong language
Godzilla: King Of The Monsters is a US action fantasy in which eco-terrorists release ancient monsters who battle for supremacy.
Threat and horror
Scenes of threat include people hanging on to tall structures, avoiding falling debris and fighting monsters, running from explosions, being swept away by hurricane winds, and avoiding fires and flooding water. While many of the sequences are prolonged, there is a focus on action and spectacle.
Violence
There are extended sequences of giant monsters biting and clawing each other, with occasional brief detail such as a monster's head being ripped off. Humans also battle the monsters, with fighter planes exploding as they are struck, and it is implied a man is eaten. There are also gunfights between human characters, although injury detail is minimal.
Language
There is infrequent strong language ('f**k'), a middle finger gesture, and milder terms including 'ass', 'shit', 'hell', 'son of a bitch', 'bastards', 'Jesus', 'God', 'damn', and 'screw'.
Occasional sex references also occur, including a comic reference to gonorrhoea.
This work contains flashing images which may affect viewers who are susceptible to photosensitive epilepsy.
Shin Godzilla
moderate violence, gore, threat
Shin Godzilla is a Japanese monster movie about an enormous aquatic creature that goes on the rampage after emerging from Tokyo Bay.
Violence
There are frequent scenes of action violence which consist of military attacks on the monster and sequences in which the monster destroys buildings and various forms of infrastructure. The violence mostly consists of undetailed gunfire and explosions, but there occasional gory moments in which blood sprays from the monster, as well sight of a piece of the monster's flesh falling to the ground.
Threat
Civilians are seen running from the giant monster in a state of distress; a woman cries out as the monster rips its tail through her apartment block. There are also scenes of chaos when people attempt to force themselves on trains in order to escape from the attack.
There is mild bad language ('bugger', 'hell', 'balls', 'damn').
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